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Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice #17
Star Wars: The Only Witness
An evil crime family controls the fate of a planet. Only one witness can bring them down--someone from the inside. In order to make it off the planet to testify, she's going to need the protection of the Jedi.
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take the assignment, thinking it will be easy. But nothing is ever easy when crime is concerned, and soon the two Jedi are entangled in a violent web of power, corruption, and lies. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan know their allegiance is to the witness. But can she be trusted?
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take the assignment, thinking it will be easy. But nothing is ever easy when crime is concerned, and soon the two Jedi are entangled in a violent web of power, corruption, and lies. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan know their allegiance is to the witness. But can she be trusted?
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
September 8, 2018
The Only Witness is the penultimate novel in the Jedi Apprentice series--not counting the two "special editions"--and, though this installment has some high spots, it's not up to the standard set by the previous books. Though the story was good, the writing was slightly inferior, and the ending was a bit shocking; too much so, in fact, for young children. It's a shame, though; the story had more twists and turns than most of the previous entries in the series. My only hope is that the eighteenth (and final?) volume, and/or the "Special Editions", will help the long "juvenile" space opera finish on a high note.
January 26, 2020
I love one teenage Obi-Wan, Chivalrous Knight of Championing Causes for Females in Distress. What a sucker.
I was hoping this book would deal with Qui-Gon's return to life after mourning Tahl's death, and it did... but I am still frustrated. Maybe it's just because Qui-Gon is SO dramatic. Maybe it's because it's been like... four books now of Obi-Wan taking a backseat in the story of his own training. Actually, no, it's the whole series. Actually, no, it's Obi-Wan's entire life.
Why doesn't anybody pay ATTENTION to or prioritize him at ANY point in his ENTIRE life? I'm sad.
I was hoping this book would deal with Qui-Gon's return to life after mourning Tahl's death, and it did... but I am still frustrated. Maybe it's just because Qui-Gon is SO dramatic. Maybe it's because it's been like... four books now of Obi-Wan taking a backseat in the story of his own training. Actually, no, it's the whole series. Actually, no, it's Obi-Wan's entire life.
Why doesn't anybody pay ATTENTION to or prioritize him at ANY point in his ENTIRE life? I'm sad.
December 15, 2022
It was ok.
A fun story at first that went downhill the minute you see who the villain is and what happens is basically the same plot line with the whole series. I wouldn't read it again and was glad it was over. The only plus on this one was that I was reading about Qui Gon and Obi Wan.
A fun story at first that went downhill the minute you see who the villain is and what happens is basically the same plot line with the whole series. I wouldn't read it again and was glad it was over. The only plus on this one was that I was reading about Qui Gon and Obi Wan.
March 17, 2019
This is part of a series but is a one off and can be read on its own. In this one, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent to a planet where crime reigns supreme. Their mission is to protect a woman who has recently lost her husband. She has evidence to bring down the crime family of this planet ad put power back in the hands of the politicians.
As for the mission itself I thought it was okay until the ending scene which totally surprised me and gave it a little extra "oomph" to the story. But that wasn't the sole purpose of the mission. The other purpose was for Qui-Gon. This series is coming to a close an it is time for Qui-Gon to move on from his lost. I enjoyed this aspect as she moves the character on this path and it is done with baby steps instead of saying that he is done grieving.
This was a quick read and a nice one for the characters as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan resume their relationship which has been one of the strengths of this series. I am really interested how this series concludes and onto the next one.
As for the mission itself I thought it was okay until the ending scene which totally surprised me and gave it a little extra "oomph" to the story. But that wasn't the sole purpose of the mission. The other purpose was for Qui-Gon. This series is coming to a close an it is time for Qui-Gon to move on from his lost. I enjoyed this aspect as she moves the character on this path and it is done with baby steps instead of saying that he is done grieving.
This was a quick read and a nice one for the characters as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan resume their relationship which has been one of the strengths of this series. I am really interested how this series concludes and onto the next one.
March 8, 2020
This was just phemomenal
April 11, 2023
Muy cortito, libro para pasar la tarde. Trama demasiado sencilla para lo ya sencilla que es la saga.
Quedan poquitas aventuras de Obi Wan y Qui Gon...
Quedan poquitas aventuras de Obi Wan y Qui Gon...
May 29, 2023
The author seems to have completely checked out with writing this series by this point.
She reverts to returning Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to a default that she seems to find easiest for the characters, where Qui-Gon broods in his own head about the past (first it was Xanatos, now it's Tahl), while rejecting Obi-Wan and keeping him at a distance and not confiding in him about his personal feelings, while Obi-Wan spends the book strangely fixated on aiding a (stock #girlboss) maiden in distress and arguing with QG about why his idealistic urge to help her is right and QG's more jaded/experienced take on the situation is wrong (retreading, but in a watered down less impactful way, the Meliida Dann situation)
I'm sorry to say this is the first of the series where I was so bored I found myself skimming whole sections, actually trying to just pick out moments where there was any kind of interesting thing happening between OW and QG, the two characters we care about. Unfortunately the case-solving part of this story was very weak and dry, populated with incredibly boring secondary characters who we spend the story with.
[spoilers] By the end of the book, we are supposed to feel like QG has started on his journey of coming to terms with the loss of Tahl, but he does this by confiding in the Girlboss character and not OW.
Things between them had not been very smooth of late, Qui-Gon knew. He felt a twinge of guilt. He was not sure why it was so difficult for him to confide in the boy when it came to his feelings. Like many things, it simply was.
And somehow I know Watson will never properly explore that. "It simply was."
At this point in the series, I feel like Jude Watson no longer wanted to write these characters, and she did a very lacklustre job of wrapping up the Tahl arc with this book. It could have been very interesting to explore between OW and QG why Jedi don't form attachments of the kind QG and Tahl had formed, and QG's reflections on what it meant that he and Tahl as 2 Jedi Masters had nonetheless fallen in love and pledged themselves to one another (basically exchanged marriage vows - implying that QG would cease to be OW's master, and would leave the Jedi, unless I'm missing something here? Jedi Masters simply cannot have these types of attachments and pledge their lives to one another. It seemed to me that QG intended to throw his old life away for Tahl, meaning OW would need to find a new master. QG was no longer thinking of OW at all by the end.)
Your master deciding to quit the Jedi to run off with another Jedi Master, while leaving you to finish off your training with another master, assuming there is one who will take you?
Dealing with a master who is behaving like a crazed madman because he's suddenly on a vengeance quest, and endangering your life in the process?
Your master very nearly turning to the dark side, after years where he's been so tormented about his first apprentice doing exactly that? After he's spent so much time refusing to take you back as his pupil because he thinks you're not committed enough to the Jedi / to the Light side? And he goes and behaves like he did in "Call to Vengeance"? Being a big old hypocrite, in short?
I don't know, all of this seems to me like a pretty rich seam of conflict to explore, no?
I was also just disappointed by how sidelined OW was during this story. During the bulk of the Tahl arc I understood it, because it's a whole side to QG that he is keeping private from OW, so it makes sense OW feels shut out and there's very limited conversation between the 2 of them about QG straying from the Jedi path. In QG's own head, he is happier than he's ever been once he realizes Tahl loves him back, so everything else falls by the wayside. He's happy, that's all that matters. Wow...you've got an apprentice you're supposed to be looking after, QG!
I was really expecting the 2 main characters to have it out in this book, as they stand in the bomb site that is their partnership after QG 1) broke with the code by falling in love/pledging himself to a wife, presumably with the plan to leave the Jedi, and 2) nearly turned to the Dark side. But no.
I think Jude Watson does great when she's detonating the "bombs" throughout this series. OW leaves the Jedi to help Melida Dann, QG gets captured by an evil scientist who is doing experiments on Jedi, QG realises he's in love with Tahl but now Tahl is missing, Tahl is dead and QG wants vengeance, QG is on the cusp to turning to the dark side! Etc. She comes up with great disasters to plunge her characters into, and it makes the reader desperate to know how they will react.
I think she's often also rather good at writing the immediate aftermath to those disaster moments, where the characters have to face the difficult new situation. The aftermath to the Melida Dann situation was compelling. The aftermath to QG getting captured by the scientist was compelling.
Her big weakness imo is writing the closure. The characters internalising and reflecting on what just happened during a multi-book arc specifically. I know that's a tricky part of the process of writing, but you'd think it's the landing you'd really want to stick.
She seems to be completely bored by this point in the story, which is a massive shame, as it means I never feel like these big "disaster" moments get proper closure afterwards.
For an example of what I mean, take the Meliida Dann arc. QG and OW don't have a proper conversation about what they just went through, leaving us with a really anticlimactic end to an arc that has spanned 3 books if we're talking about Melida Dann, and 8 books if we're talking about Xanatos and how he impacted QG and OW's relationship. From Book 8 "Day of Reckoning", here is the wrap-up of the Meliida Dann arc:
QG: "I will help you with the Council. They must understand why you made the decision to leave. I have come to understand it."
OW: "You have?"
"I was slow to do so, I admit," Qui-Gon said. "But yes, I have."
QG came to understand why OW left the Jedi?? That comes as news to me. Again, in "Day of Reckoning", OW and QG never properly discussed anything, beyond QG very briefly saying "I was harsh to you after what happened on Melida Dann...It was my fault not yours." And it never really gets brought up again, at least not in a way that deepens or develops things for the characters. It comes up very briefly in "Shattered Peace" but that book was boring filler.
RE: Melida Dann, it would have been nice to read QG's thought-process as he came to see things from OW's perspective. Perhaps he could have even come to see he was wrong to project Xanatos's failings onto OW. But that never happened. "I have come to see why you made that decision" is an egregious case of "Tell not Show" by the author.
We never get proper closure.
We only have 1 more book of this series to go, and I get the sinking feeling that she's never going to have QG and OW properly talk about what just happened.
Proper closure after that Tahl arc, which is what book 17 should at least start doing, would look like:
-QG thinking through how he and Tahl, 2 Jedi Masters who should know better, came to be so attached when as Jedi that is expressly forbidden (for pretty obvious reasons given the power a Jedi Master wields and how he basically lost his mind in Book 16)
-QG reflecting on how terrifying it was that he very nearly gave into the Dark side and became what Xanatos was. In short, becoming the very opposite thing to his most deeply-held principles and beliefs.
-QG thinking through how he was on the verge of dumping OW as his pupil and running away with Tahl instead.
QG completely abandoned OW during the Tahl arc, to the point where he was endangering OW's life by driving dangerous and nearly crashing, and at that stage not caring at all about OW's safety:
Obi-Wan whipped his head around to face him. Qui-Gon wasn’t just pressing his luck. This was pure recklessness. “Master!”
Qui-Gon’s face seemed carved from the gray stone of New Apsolon. His lips were a thin line. His hands stayed steady on the controls. He seemed not to hear Obi-Wan.
A crack of gray light appeared ahead. It widened. The doors were opening, but too slowly for Obi-Wan’s comfort.
“Hang on!” Qui-Gon warned.
Obi-Wan just had time to clutch for support as Qui-Gon flipped the airspeeder sideways. Without slackening speed, he zoomed through the opening, clearing it by centimeters. They flew into the dark night.
Obi-Wan pressed himself back into the seat, trying to still his ragged breathing. Qui-Gon seemed poised on the brink of losing control. There didn’t seem anything Obi-Wan could do or say to stop him or get him to slow down. Obi-Wan tried to stifle his own panic. He had to trust his Master.
But for the first time in their long partnership, he didn’t think he could. That knowledge made fear grasp him by the throat.
^This was QG's behaviour while on his Liam Neeson in "Taken" vengeance quest. It was like OW largely ceased to exist as his partner. He stopped thinking about OW entirely.
Wouldn't the aftermath of his behaviour and how it effected his and OW's partnership have been something central that MUST be explored in the next book? Instead we got a hokey mafia plot with no real sense of imperilment, and cardboard cutout secondary characters who we instantly forget. QG and OW barely talk, other than to argue about the motives of Girlboss briefly.
We only have 1 more book of this series to go. I get the sinking feeling Jude Watson is never going to have QG and OW properly talk about the absolute insanity of QG's behaviour during the Tahl arc. QG was about to abandon OW as his master and break the code to pledge himself to a woman he is in love with and cares about more than anything else in the universe. He was about to turn to the dark side when he lost her, to become no better than Xanatos. This is just never going to get addressed??
This series is at its best when it is about OW and QG's relationship as mentor and pupil, quasi father and son. When that gets completely neglected as here, it feels like Jude Watson is bored of the characters and doesn't want to be writing them anymore.
I did have a thought while looking at the dates when these books were published.
Books 1-5 were published 1999 (5 books)
Books 6-11 were published 2000 (6 books)
Books 12-17 were published 2001 (6 books)
Last 2 books were published 2002. (2 books)
Agreeably these are very short books, but I wonder if Watson was under a lot of pressure to churn this series out as fast as possible (and very clearly to a super strict word limit).
I wonder if by book 17, she was done with the characters and the whole premise and had just lost interest. It certainly feels that way, and it's a massive shame given the care she took earlier, that she seems so checked out here at the end. Rather than giving the series a proper send off, it's ending on on very dreary, boring, miserable flat note.
I'm debating if I want to read the final book, as I'd rather keep my memory of when the series was good, instead of ending on a note like this where I can tell Jude Watson doesn't want to be writing this anymore.
[edit to add: I have loved Watson's take on these 2 characters and I loved these books when I read them as a teenager. I never ended up reading the last few books though, and now I wonder if my younger self lost interest because I could feel the author was losing interest. In any case, I got a lot of joy out of Watson's take on the QG/OW master/padawan relationship, so I hate to rag on her. But I'm so sad to see her phone it in. This is how you're going to end this series?]
She reverts to returning Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to a default that she seems to find easiest for the characters, where Qui-Gon broods in his own head about the past (first it was Xanatos, now it's Tahl), while rejecting Obi-Wan and keeping him at a distance and not confiding in him about his personal feelings, while Obi-Wan spends the book strangely fixated on aiding a (stock #girlboss) maiden in distress and arguing with QG about why his idealistic urge to help her is right and QG's more jaded/experienced take on the situation is wrong (retreading, but in a watered down less impactful way, the Meliida Dann situation)
I'm sorry to say this is the first of the series where I was so bored I found myself skimming whole sections, actually trying to just pick out moments where there was any kind of interesting thing happening between OW and QG, the two characters we care about. Unfortunately the case-solving part of this story was very weak and dry, populated with incredibly boring secondary characters who we spend the story with.
[spoilers] By the end of the book, we are supposed to feel like QG has started on his journey of coming to terms with the loss of Tahl, but he does this by confiding in the Girlboss character and not OW.
Things between them had not been very smooth of late, Qui-Gon knew. He felt a twinge of guilt. He was not sure why it was so difficult for him to confide in the boy when it came to his feelings. Like many things, it simply was.
And somehow I know Watson will never properly explore that. "It simply was."
At this point in the series, I feel like Jude Watson no longer wanted to write these characters, and she did a very lacklustre job of wrapping up the Tahl arc with this book. It could have been very interesting to explore between OW and QG why Jedi don't form attachments of the kind QG and Tahl had formed, and QG's reflections on what it meant that he and Tahl as 2 Jedi Masters had nonetheless fallen in love and pledged themselves to one another (basically exchanged marriage vows - implying that QG would cease to be OW's master, and would leave the Jedi, unless I'm missing something here? Jedi Masters simply cannot have these types of attachments and pledge their lives to one another. It seemed to me that QG intended to throw his old life away for Tahl, meaning OW would need to find a new master. QG was no longer thinking of OW at all by the end.)
Your master deciding to quit the Jedi to run off with another Jedi Master, while leaving you to finish off your training with another master, assuming there is one who will take you?
Dealing with a master who is behaving like a crazed madman because he's suddenly on a vengeance quest, and endangering your life in the process?
Your master very nearly turning to the dark side, after years where he's been so tormented about his first apprentice doing exactly that? After he's spent so much time refusing to take you back as his pupil because he thinks you're not committed enough to the Jedi / to the Light side? And he goes and behaves like he did in "Call to Vengeance"? Being a big old hypocrite, in short?
I don't know, all of this seems to me like a pretty rich seam of conflict to explore, no?
I was also just disappointed by how sidelined OW was during this story. During the bulk of the Tahl arc I understood it, because it's a whole side to QG that he is keeping private from OW, so it makes sense OW feels shut out and there's very limited conversation between the 2 of them about QG straying from the Jedi path. In QG's own head, he is happier than he's ever been once he realizes Tahl loves him back, so everything else falls by the wayside. He's happy, that's all that matters. Wow...you've got an apprentice you're supposed to be looking after, QG!
I was really expecting the 2 main characters to have it out in this book, as they stand in the bomb site that is their partnership after QG 1) broke with the code by falling in love/pledging himself to a wife, presumably with the plan to leave the Jedi, and 2) nearly turned to the Dark side. But no.
I think Jude Watson does great when she's detonating the "bombs" throughout this series. OW leaves the Jedi to help Melida Dann, QG gets captured by an evil scientist who is doing experiments on Jedi, QG realises he's in love with Tahl but now Tahl is missing, Tahl is dead and QG wants vengeance, QG is on the cusp to turning to the dark side! Etc. She comes up with great disasters to plunge her characters into, and it makes the reader desperate to know how they will react.
I think she's often also rather good at writing the immediate aftermath to those disaster moments, where the characters have to face the difficult new situation. The aftermath to the Melida Dann situation was compelling. The aftermath to QG getting captured by the scientist was compelling.
Her big weakness imo is writing the closure. The characters internalising and reflecting on what just happened during a multi-book arc specifically. I know that's a tricky part of the process of writing, but you'd think it's the landing you'd really want to stick.
She seems to be completely bored by this point in the story, which is a massive shame, as it means I never feel like these big "disaster" moments get proper closure afterwards.
For an example of what I mean, take the Meliida Dann arc. QG and OW don't have a proper conversation about what they just went through, leaving us with a really anticlimactic end to an arc that has spanned 3 books if we're talking about Melida Dann, and 8 books if we're talking about Xanatos and how he impacted QG and OW's relationship. From Book 8 "Day of Reckoning", here is the wrap-up of the Meliida Dann arc:
QG: "I will help you with the Council. They must understand why you made the decision to leave. I have come to understand it."
OW: "You have?"
"I was slow to do so, I admit," Qui-Gon said. "But yes, I have."
QG came to understand why OW left the Jedi?? That comes as news to me. Again, in "Day of Reckoning", OW and QG never properly discussed anything, beyond QG very briefly saying "I was harsh to you after what happened on Melida Dann...It was my fault not yours." And it never really gets brought up again, at least not in a way that deepens or develops things for the characters. It comes up very briefly in "Shattered Peace" but that book was boring filler.
RE: Melida Dann, it would have been nice to read QG's thought-process as he came to see things from OW's perspective. Perhaps he could have even come to see he was wrong to project Xanatos's failings onto OW. But that never happened. "I have come to see why you made that decision" is an egregious case of "Tell not Show" by the author.
We never get proper closure.
We only have 1 more book of this series to go, and I get the sinking feeling that she's never going to have QG and OW properly talk about what just happened.
Proper closure after that Tahl arc, which is what book 17 should at least start doing, would look like:
-QG thinking through how he and Tahl, 2 Jedi Masters who should know better, came to be so attached when as Jedi that is expressly forbidden (for pretty obvious reasons given the power a Jedi Master wields and how he basically lost his mind in Book 16)
-QG reflecting on how terrifying it was that he very nearly gave into the Dark side and became what Xanatos was. In short, becoming the very opposite thing to his most deeply-held principles and beliefs.
-QG thinking through how he was on the verge of dumping OW as his pupil and running away with Tahl instead.
QG completely abandoned OW during the Tahl arc, to the point where he was endangering OW's life by driving dangerous and nearly crashing, and at that stage not caring at all about OW's safety:
Obi-Wan whipped his head around to face him. Qui-Gon wasn’t just pressing his luck. This was pure recklessness. “Master!”
Qui-Gon’s face seemed carved from the gray stone of New Apsolon. His lips were a thin line. His hands stayed steady on the controls. He seemed not to hear Obi-Wan.
A crack of gray light appeared ahead. It widened. The doors were opening, but too slowly for Obi-Wan’s comfort.
“Hang on!” Qui-Gon warned.
Obi-Wan just had time to clutch for support as Qui-Gon flipped the airspeeder sideways. Without slackening speed, he zoomed through the opening, clearing it by centimeters. They flew into the dark night.
Obi-Wan pressed himself back into the seat, trying to still his ragged breathing. Qui-Gon seemed poised on the brink of losing control. There didn’t seem anything Obi-Wan could do or say to stop him or get him to slow down. Obi-Wan tried to stifle his own panic. He had to trust his Master.
But for the first time in their long partnership, he didn’t think he could. That knowledge made fear grasp him by the throat.
^This was QG's behaviour while on his Liam Neeson in "Taken" vengeance quest. It was like OW largely ceased to exist as his partner. He stopped thinking about OW entirely.
Wouldn't the aftermath of his behaviour and how it effected his and OW's partnership have been something central that MUST be explored in the next book? Instead we got a hokey mafia plot with no real sense of imperilment, and cardboard cutout secondary characters who we instantly forget. QG and OW barely talk, other than to argue about the motives of Girlboss briefly.
We only have 1 more book of this series to go. I get the sinking feeling Jude Watson is never going to have QG and OW properly talk about the absolute insanity of QG's behaviour during the Tahl arc. QG was about to abandon OW as his master and break the code to pledge himself to a woman he is in love with and cares about more than anything else in the universe. He was about to turn to the dark side when he lost her, to become no better than Xanatos. This is just never going to get addressed??
This series is at its best when it is about OW and QG's relationship as mentor and pupil, quasi father and son. When that gets completely neglected as here, it feels like Jude Watson is bored of the characters and doesn't want to be writing them anymore.
I did have a thought while looking at the dates when these books were published.
Books 1-5 were published 1999 (5 books)
Books 6-11 were published 2000 (6 books)
Books 12-17 were published 2001 (6 books)
Last 2 books were published 2002. (2 books)
Agreeably these are very short books, but I wonder if Watson was under a lot of pressure to churn this series out as fast as possible (and very clearly to a super strict word limit).
I wonder if by book 17, she was done with the characters and the whole premise and had just lost interest. It certainly feels that way, and it's a massive shame given the care she took earlier, that she seems so checked out here at the end. Rather than giving the series a proper send off, it's ending on on very dreary, boring, miserable flat note.
I'm debating if I want to read the final book, as I'd rather keep my memory of when the series was good, instead of ending on a note like this where I can tell Jude Watson doesn't want to be writing this anymore.
[edit to add: I have loved Watson's take on these 2 characters and I loved these books when I read them as a teenager. I never ended up reading the last few books though, and now I wonder if my younger self lost interest because I could feel the author was losing interest. In any case, I got a lot of joy out of Watson's take on the QG/OW master/padawan relationship, so I hate to rag on her. But I'm so sad to see her phone it in. This is how you're going to end this series?]
February 17, 2024
A nice little "mafia" story. This book closes the whole story around Qui Gonn's grief and mourning. This was rather dark and sad for a "children's" book but very enjoyable.
February 23, 2014
Qui-Gon who is still hurting from the loss of his beloved earlier in the series is in a deep depression and has managed to alienate his apprentice by rebuffing all offers of help and comradeship. Both are nevertheless ordered to travel to a planet ruled by a powerful crime family and to escort an important witness, who possesses insider knowledge about the crime family's affairs to Coruscant.
This is one of the books in the Jedi Apprentice series for younger readers. Unfortunately, as with many books intended for a younger market, the book shows a distinct lack of care in the writing. While the story as such is working, little attention has been spared to make the story consistent, both within the novel itself or with the wider Star Wars universe.
To give some examples:
So is there nothing worthwhile in here? Not quite. While the authors seem to lack respect for their audience (they apparently operate on a "if it is good enough for a Sunday morning cartoon the kids will not notice" basis, Qui-Gon's depression, his loss and his and his friends reaction to his condition are surprisingly well-written. His final acceptance of the matter is also well-handled.
In the end this is an easy-to-read rather undemanding and cartoonish romp though the Star Wars franchise with at least a few good elements. While I wouldn't choose it over better children's books there are certainly worse things to read if your kid's interests currently run towards Star Wars.
This is one of the books in the Jedi Apprentice series for younger readers. Unfortunately, as with many books intended for a younger market, the book shows a distinct lack of care in the writing. While the story as such is working, little attention has been spared to make the story consistent, both within the novel itself or with the wider Star Wars universe.
To give some examples:
So is there nothing worthwhile in here? Not quite. While the authors seem to lack respect for their audience (they apparently operate on a "if it is good enough for a Sunday morning cartoon the kids will not notice" basis, Qui-Gon's depression, his loss and his and his friends reaction to his condition are surprisingly well-written. His final acceptance of the matter is also well-handled.
In the end this is an easy-to-read rather undemanding and cartoonish romp though the Star Wars franchise with at least a few good elements. While I wouldn't choose it over better children's books there are certainly worse things to read if your kid's interests currently run towards Star Wars.
January 2, 2026
⭐ Another Book That Forgot What Jedi Apprentice Is About
The Only Witness is another disappointing entry in the Jedi Apprentice series. Jude Watson’s writing has reached a clear low point, and the lack of effort is easy to see. The focus has shifted away, starting in book fourteen, from Obi-Wan and his relationship to Qui-Gon. This shift removes the heart of the story because that bond shaped the entire series. Obi-Wan is an afterthought in his own series, and the book feels empty as a result.
The plot never develops into anything engaging. The early chapters feel slow and repetitive. The later chapters become weaker, and the mystery carries no tension or meaningful payoff. The final reveal is predictable, and the narrative ends without impact. The writing feels flat, and the world no longer has the depth it carried in the better books.
The characters offer little. Mica is the only one with emotional weight, and she suffers the most with no real protection from the Jedi. The rest of the cast is forgettable and adds nothing to the story. The mention of Mace Windu creates false expectations and leads nowhere.
The handling of Obi-Wan is at its worst. He receives no development and very little attention. The most uncomfortable part is Qui-Gon’s encouragement of Obi-Wan’s closeness with Lena. Obi-Wan is seventeen, and Lena is a widow who is clearly older. Their interactions feel inappropriate and out of place in a book for younger readers.
This novel reads like the work of an author who has lost interest. The emotional depth and character focus that once made the series strong have disappeared. The Only Witness is a weak, unfocused, and unsatisfying chapter in the Jedi Apprentice line.
The Only Witness is another disappointing entry in the Jedi Apprentice series. Jude Watson’s writing has reached a clear low point, and the lack of effort is easy to see. The focus has shifted away, starting in book fourteen, from Obi-Wan and his relationship to Qui-Gon. This shift removes the heart of the story because that bond shaped the entire series. Obi-Wan is an afterthought in his own series, and the book feels empty as a result.
The plot never develops into anything engaging. The early chapters feel slow and repetitive. The later chapters become weaker, and the mystery carries no tension or meaningful payoff. The final reveal is predictable, and the narrative ends without impact. The writing feels flat, and the world no longer has the depth it carried in the better books.
The characters offer little. Mica is the only one with emotional weight, and she suffers the most with no real protection from the Jedi. The rest of the cast is forgettable and adds nothing to the story. The mention of Mace Windu creates false expectations and leads nowhere.
The handling of Obi-Wan is at its worst. He receives no development and very little attention. The most uncomfortable part is Qui-Gon’s encouragement of Obi-Wan’s closeness with Lena. Obi-Wan is seventeen, and Lena is a widow who is clearly older. Their interactions feel inappropriate and out of place in a book for younger readers.
This novel reads like the work of an author who has lost interest. The emotional depth and character focus that once made the series strong have disappeared. The Only Witness is a weak, unfocused, and unsatisfying chapter in the Jedi Apprentice line.
Read
December 26, 2016Short fun read. Good for junior readers however not without violence. These smaller Star Wars series for junior readers have plots and are easy to read, wish discovered these books back then when I started out reading as a young child. Starting out with Harry Potter and Encyclopedias was not the easiest thing for a grade 1 kid whose English was not her first language.
The main character of the episode Lena Cobrals might have inspired The Clone Wars' Satine Krize (back story and all). Totally forgot Valorum was chancellor and not Palpatine. Plot twists can be excessive but that was the trend starting from New Apsolon arc. Qui-Gon not being able to get over Tahl was heart breaking but we all know what happens in the episode I. I will leave with this quote:
Hashtags #love #lost and #death
#DREAM
The main character of the episode Lena Cobrals might have inspired The Clone Wars' Satine Krize (back story and all). Totally forgot Valorum was chancellor and not Palpatine. Plot twists can be excessive but that was the trend starting from New Apsolon arc. Qui-Gon not being able to get over Tahl was heart breaking but we all know what happens in the episode I. I will leave with this quote:
"Wherever I am headed, I will wait for you, Qui-Gon," she had said. "I've always been a solitary traveler"
Hashtags #love #lost and #death
#DREAM
August 8, 2011
The change of scene was a welcome one after the oppressive Apsolon trilogy, and the witness protection mission exposed another aspect of Jedi duties. Unfortunately the author passed up on the opportunity to create a more than cursory description of Frego, and the characters are pretty much two dimensional apart from Lena and Mica. And as much as I enjoy reading about the alternative paths Jedi can take to conflict, and the change of pace, I felt there wasn’t enough action. The danger Lena experiences never feels serious, and I would have thought a hard core crime family in control of a planet would have made more of an effort to find her. Instead, Lena is largely unmolested unless she visits them. There was a touch of humour in Obi-Wan’s infatuation with Lena, which gave me a knowing chuckle.
6 out of 10 (for a children's book).
6 out of 10 (for a children's book).
July 19, 2021
Far to fast paced and not as in depth as some of the other stories. I forgot that this book had the second on page villain committing suicide scene. While Qui-gon's arc makes sense, I was tired of reading yet another book of Qui-gon grieving. It really does end up reading like the only reason Tahl died was because of the two being in love and Watson not wanting to commit to writing that. Also Obi-wan has his first crush and I don't know why it needed to be in the story.
October 16, 2021
Qui-Gon is mourning. Obi-Wan tries to help. Yeah, and there's a new mission. And Obi-Wan for the first time in his life has a crush (on a pretty courageous widow).
re-read
The plot was predictable and really just designed to explore Qui-Gon's grief.
re-read
The plot was predictable and really just designed to explore Qui-Gon's grief.
August 3, 2018
This one was a fast read, I saw other reviews saying it was short and I have to agree. It seemed like their were two story lines that intertwined throughout this book and I liked how Watson combined them into a story this small. The only reason I gave 3 instead of 4 stars was the cheesiness of the "actual" plot.
Plot 1 was there's a widow in trouble who needs the Jedi's help to expose a criminal enterprise on a planet you'll forget as soon as you finish the book. She finds the evidence through some "If I've died, here's a box with the clue necessary to defeat my killers" plot device and we see the Jedi help her to finally take down these noir gangsters and save a planet named....I forgot.
Plot 2 is the one we really care about, it's watching Qui-Gon go from dealing with his grief by being very mopey, standoffish, and generally just wanting to sit alone in his rooms until the world goes away. It's the depression phase of grief and it sucks. The Council basically shoves him out on a new mission with Obi-Wan who has no clue how to comfort his Master. Qui-Gon bonds with the widow on their grief, she sort of gets Qui-Gon to look around and realize he's not the only person grieving Tahl's death and its not how she would want him to be. He eventually seems to snap out of it and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have a nice moment at the end of the book where they come to a mutual apology for their issues in grief.
Also Obi-Wan is 17 (?) in this book, he's no longer a smol boi! So it was very cute to see him get this little crush on the woman they're protecting, and see the beginnings of his "I like woman who are strong in character" trait which we see later with Satine and Siri. It's cute and I adored when Qui-Gon kind of wryly called him out on it and Obi-Wan is like "Nuh uhh!". Real mature Kenobi.
So while it was short, it wasn't bad. Go for it.
Plot 1 was there's a widow in trouble who needs the Jedi's help to expose a criminal enterprise on a planet you'll forget as soon as you finish the book. She finds the evidence through some "If I've died, here's a box with the clue necessary to defeat my killers" plot device and we see the Jedi help her to finally take down these noir gangsters and save a planet named....I forgot.
Plot 2 is the one we really care about, it's watching Qui-Gon go from dealing with his grief by being very mopey, standoffish, and generally just wanting to sit alone in his rooms until the world goes away. It's the depression phase of grief and it sucks. The Council basically shoves him out on a new mission with Obi-Wan who has no clue how to comfort his Master. Qui-Gon bonds with the widow on their grief, she sort of gets Qui-Gon to look around and realize he's not the only person grieving Tahl's death and its not how she would want him to be. He eventually seems to snap out of it and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have a nice moment at the end of the book where they come to a mutual apology for their issues in grief.
Also Obi-Wan is 17 (?) in this book, he's no longer a smol boi! So it was very cute to see him get this little crush on the woman they're protecting, and see the beginnings of his "I like woman who are strong in character" trait which we see later with Satine and Siri. It's cute and I adored when Qui-Gon kind of wryly called him out on it and Obi-Wan is like "Nuh uhh!". Real mature Kenobi.
So while it was short, it wasn't bad. Go for it.
March 31, 2024
Star Wars Jedi Apprentice: The Only Witness by Jude Watson - 17th book in the series
Challenging, emotional, hopeful, informative,
inspiring, mysterious, sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5 Stars
This series is very similar to The Clone Wars episodes, in that they are catering to a younger audience, while teaching a moral lesson...through the action and decisions of the characters within the story.
In this one, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to a planet...to bring back a witness that is needed. Once they get to the planet...the "witness" is less trustworthy than was first reported...and through the persuasiveness of Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon gives her a second chance. In doing so, it opens up Qui-Gon to see into his own past relationships...and helps the witness to do the right thing.
A quick read. Whenever I finish one of these novellas...I want to jump into the next one.
...and I feel that that might not be a bad idea.
Challenging, emotional, hopeful, informative,
inspiring, mysterious, sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5 Stars
This series is very similar to The Clone Wars episodes, in that they are catering to a younger audience, while teaching a moral lesson...through the action and decisions of the characters within the story.
In this one, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to a planet...to bring back a witness that is needed. Once they get to the planet...the "witness" is less trustworthy than was first reported...and through the persuasiveness of Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon gives her a second chance. In doing so, it opens up Qui-Gon to see into his own past relationships...and helps the witness to do the right thing.
A quick read. Whenever I finish one of these novellas...I want to jump into the next one.
...and I feel that that might not be a bad idea.
July 19, 2025
I honestly didn't remember a THING about this book, and so my guess is that the library never had it at the time that I was an avid devotee of the series.. But, I obviously didn't miss much. This installment was horrible!!! I kept scratching my head wondering, 'did Jude Watson even write this one?!?' It felt so weird compared to the rest of the books, PLUS, this book immediately follows the events of Qui-Gon losing Tahl, but the emotions and feelings are not really dealt with? It's brought up a lot, but it's like Watson didn't know where to go with it... several chapters ended in a bizarre way. The whole book felt like it was written in a rush. Just odd to me because the next and final book I always enjoyed... so I'm not sure what happened between book 16 and 18 to give us this.. but it's a hot mess. 😬
April 18, 2019
An evil crime family controls the fate of a planet. Only one witness can bring them down--someone from the inside. In order to make it off the planet to testify, she's going to need the protection of the Jedi.
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take the assignment, thinking it will be easy. But nothing is ever easy when crime is concerned, and soon the two Jedi are entangled in a violent web of power, corruption, and lies. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan know their allegiance is to the witness. But can she be trusted?
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take the assignment, thinking it will be easy. But nothing is ever easy when crime is concerned, and soon the two Jedi are entangled in a violent web of power, corruption, and lies. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan know their allegiance is to the witness. But can she be trusted?
April 1, 2024
The Only Witness by Jude Watson.
This is #17 in the middle grade Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice series.
Spoiler free preview: Because of Qui-Gon's grief, he is finding it hard to continue as a Jedi Knight. Now, he and Obi-Wan are sent on a mission to a hostile planet to protect the only witness that is wiling to testify against an evil crime family.
I found this story rather forgettable; more of a "breather" story after the last three book arc; moving Qui-Gon's grief along. And still getting darker.
Still enjoyable, a 3 star read.
#MiddleGradeMarch.
This is #17 in the middle grade Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice series.
Spoiler free preview: Because of Qui-Gon's grief, he is finding it hard to continue as a Jedi Knight. Now, he and Obi-Wan are sent on a mission to a hostile planet to protect the only witness that is wiling to testify against an evil crime family.
I found this story rather forgettable; more of a "breather" story after the last three book arc; moving Qui-Gon's grief along. And still getting darker.
Still enjoyable, a 3 star read.
#MiddleGradeMarch.
August 13, 2025
Pretty good epilogue for the Tahl arc for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and it proves a good understanding of characters that it takes more than a couple books for Qui-Gon's deepest emotional wound to resolve. Despite that, this "mission of the week" might be the weakest of the series so far. I kept waiting for a plot twist that never materialized (although the ending did have a little surprise). I enjoyed seeing a slightly older Obi-Wan here as we close in on the end of the series. Definitely read this one if you've enjoyed the previous three in the series.
April 6, 2023
Ehh... the series is now outstaying its welcome. A mediocre story that doesn't really hold one's interest, though it's nice to see Qui-Gon recovering from his great loss and starting down the path to healing. The only other notable thing about this instalment is the fact that it introduced the word "infatuated" to my 12-year-old self. I've no idea why THAT is what stuck with me over the years. Perhaps because the rest of the book is so blah.
March 13, 2022
This was a good exploration of how painful grief can be, while also maintaining an action packed mystery. I liked the message that sharing ones grief, either with someone who has suffered a similar loss or recognizing that those who have also lost the same person are also grieving, helps one to process their own loss.
March 4, 2024
3.75 It was good. Thankfully the storyline and characters were easier to follow in this one. I just can't believe there's only one more book left for me and my boys to read aloud.. what an era. Totally cherished memories for me. I hope it stays with them a little bit too. Finishing the final book, #18, will be bittersweet! Hope it's a good one!!
September 26, 2019
Zakończenie mnie zdecydowanie zaskoczyło. Sama książka jest dość krótka i o ile ktoś nie ma ograniczonego czasu, to właściwie jest to pozycja na jeden wieczór. Ciekawie pokazane są też wewnętrzne rozważania Qui-Gona po utracie Tahl w poprzednich częściach.
March 15, 2020
Qui-Gon’s still healing (badly) from Tahl’s death, but this mission turns out to be just what he needs. Twist ending and a touching Master/Padawan but really more father/son moment at the end, and an exciting ride throughout the book. And I’m almost at the end of the series. :(
November 25, 2020
ahlを喪った悲しみを打ち明けてくれないクワイガンに、落ち込むオビワン。慰める術もわからなくて、ますます落ち込むオビワン。そんな時、二人は夫を喪ったばかりの若い女性の警護をする任務につくことに。
クワイガンがTahlを喪った哀しみを受け入れ、ようやくオビワンにも気を回せるようになる話、と書くと身も蓋もないけどでも、つまるところそういう話。クワイガンがオビワンがまだ自分を慕ってくれること、褒めてもらいたがってくれていることを嬉しいと思い、なごむところが可愛い。
クワイガンがTahlを喪った哀しみを受け入れ、ようやくオビワンにも気を回せるようになる話、と書くと身も蓋もないけどでも、つまるところそういう話。クワイガンがオビワンがまだ自分を慕ってくれること、褒めてもらいたがってくれていることを嬉しいと思い、なごむところが可愛い。
November 6, 2021
While the plot is a bit routine for the series at this point, there's enough going on to make it stand out. Seeing Qui Gonn get through his grief with a widower is satisfying, and the entire Godfather-esq planet is a great concept.
September 1, 2022
It's a 3.5 but Goodreads lacks nuance so I round up. Good lessons for the young, and interesting world building that lines up with what George Lucas put on the screen. Watson's gift for dialogue makes the characters believable.
October 18, 2023
A really good Jedi Apprentice book. Intrigue, good conflict & drama, & a feeling that not all is right. Love seeing Qui-Gon, with Kenobi’s help, start to heal from Tahl’s tragic death. A good twist as well. Plus, it was cool to see the Senate & Chancellor Valorum.
June 13, 2025
A decent stand-alone in the series where the widow of a mafia-style family needs protecting, but she doesn't yet have the evidence she claimed to have. Also continues on with the theme of grief following the previous two books.
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